


Heart of Glass

by Sternenstaub



Category: Wiedźmin | The Witcher (Video Game), Wiedźmin | The Witcher - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe, Angst, Cinderella AU, Fairytale elements, Falling In Love, Fluff, Geralt is Cinderella, M/M, beauty and the beast vibes as well, i guess, self doubt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-30
Updated: 2020-10-06
Packaged: 2021-03-07 20:02:16
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,790
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26733301
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sternenstaub/pseuds/Sternenstaub
Summary: The Cinderella AU nobody asked for. Will Prince Jaskier ever find his chosen one again?
Relationships: Geralt z Rivii | Geralt of Rivia/Jaskier | Dandelion
Comments: 21
Kudos: 93





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I'm incredibly sorry but for this AU Lambert and Eskel had to be horrible. I love those two but they are not nice for this story.

Geralt couldn't remember the last time he'd been happy in his home. He knew there must have been a time he was, fuzzy memories of him being a child with red hair and green eyes running around the garden woke him sometimes up after a restless night. But all he could truly remember were the trials, the pain, the training. They had shaped him into something different, something monstrous. 

He and his brothers were the last ones left at this mansion. Old and broken as it was. Geralt missed the times when Vesemir had been there, a teacher not a parent, but still caring about them, taking care of the keep. But one day he'd vanished, not come back from a hunt and Geralt had been left with his brothers. Brothers that had never liked him. He was the freak, the other one, the Mutant with white hair and too sharp teeth, too hulking and strong, he was the most unnatural of them and they let him know what they thought about that every day. 

But he had no other place to go, not after Blaviken, had been stoned out of every village, had almost been the reason all witchers had been scorned. So his only home was this and his only option was to stay here, to take care of the crumbling mansion and its surroundings while his brothers went hunting all over the continent. 

The weeks he was alone, he was almost content. Nobody bothered him or demanded he give up the meagre pay some of the surrounding villages were sometimes willing to give him for clearing out small monsters. Only him and Roach, the horse that had been too old for his brothers, and that was how he liked it. Sometimes Geralt missed people, missed a warm hand on his arm or a smile that was only for him but he knew he would never get that. Not him.

His brothers came back, loud and boisterous, shoes full of mud and armor bloody. They threw their gear at him, expecting him to wash and clean it while they took the last few bottles of vodka they had in the house and got drunk. Geralt sat down, looking at the dirty armor, the muddy footprints all over the house and started to clean and mend. Falling asleep in front of the kitchen hearth, the only light source he'd had late at night. 

"Get up you lazy fuck!" a boot hit him in the hip, not outright kicking him but also not gently. "We want breakfast." Lambert hollered. Eskel joined him in the kitchen, suddenly laughing, "Look at that brother, the white wolf, full of soot, we should call him the ashen wolf, much more fitting, don't you think?" he pointed at Geralt, laughing still until Lambert joined him. Both seemed absolutely delighted at their cleverness.

Geralt barely reacted, he just got up and went to retrieve water to get breakfast started. He could see his reflection in the well before the bucket hit the surface. His face looked different from his brothers, eyes just a bit too bright, teeth too sharp, he looked dangerous. Even with his cheeks stained with coal, hair long since dirty and grey from ashes and cheap soap, far from the white he'd once been named for. 

For a moment he wondered if it should hurt, if he should care about the nicknames, the fact that this family that hated him was all that was left. That he was an unloved monster and more a servant than a brother. But he couldn't bring himself to care. He would only despair, or even more stupid, talk himself into hoping for better times. And hope was the most dangerous thing he could encounter.

A few days later Geralt was alone again. Chopping firewood for the coming winter, he ventured deep into the woods. He didn't worry, all big monsters knew to keep away from their mansion by now and all smaller monsters could be easily dispatched by him. His silver sword was old and dented but he could kill most things with his axe or bare hands if necessary. 

He found a promising tree and got to work, enjoyed feeling his muscles pull, to see his work results in front of him and to know he would be able to fall asleep without dreams tonight. He put his light leather armor over a tree branch, knowing he was safe enough without it and enjoyed the sun on his skin. The forest truly was a magical place.

When he had been almost finished for the day, sweaty and exhausted and laden with wood they'd need soon, he heard something crash deeper in the woods. An unearthly howl shook the leaves and a very earthly scream followed. "Shit" Geralt thought, sprinting in that direction, not even bothering to put on his shirt or armor again.

A man with brown hair and a ridiculous loud outfit, and Geralt hadn't even known clothes could be loud but he had no better description for the absurdity this man was wearing, ran away from a warg, screaming as loud as he could, which was surprisingly loud, to give him some credit. When he saw Geralt, his terrified face morphed into something hopeful and he hid behind his back. Geralt barely had the time to be stunned by this show of trust in a stranger. What an idiotic man. 

The warg was barrelling at them full speed, teeth sharp as razors, mouth dripping with saliva. Geralt did not have the time to unsheathe his silver sword, all he had was an axe in his hands and the knowledge that he was reasonably just as strong as that monster twice his size in front of him. He bared his own teeth at the Wolf monster and felt a growl deep in his chest rise. Axe in one hand, he put up a Quen shield with the other, trying to protect this stupid human clinging to his back as well.

The Warg barreled into them, Geralt grunted but didn´t sway, feet firmly on the ground. He swung his axe and embedded it deep in the beast's head. It yowled and tried to bite his hand off, spit and blood flying everywhere but in the end, it's struggle was futile. Geralt knew what he was doing, had been doing it for a long time now.

The beast had barely fallen when Geralt already felt two warm arms embrace his neck. He almost attacked them, still high on adrenaline and so very unused to the feeling. “Thank you! I can't express how scared I was! Thank you so much!” the man gushed, still hugging him. Geralt shoved him off a bit, trying to be gentle. Surely the man would notice any moment just what exactly he was hugging and Geralt didn't want him to throw a punch in fright. 

The hug had been nice, surprisingly nice, considering he was sweaty and shirtless and now also bloody while the man was dirty and smelling like fear. Geralt knew that smell, it was what every human smelled when they saw him but for some curious reason the smell got lesser and not stronger. 

The man stumbled a few steps back, still talking, wringing his hands, now that he couldn´t hug Geralt anymore. He looked at him, looked at him truly, up and down and Geralt could see his eyes widen, heard his heart beat just a tiny bit faster and braced himself for the reaction, the anger and fear that´d follow. Everyone knew him, knew to keep away from him. His brothers had spun a pretty tale about a dangerous witcher who could only leave his house for short times and had to be kept in check.

The man stared at him open mouthed and Geralt cleared his throat, “Better go home, the woods are dangerous this late.” he rumbled, voice hoarse from not using it for several days. This seemed to get the man´s thoughts back on track, honestly why hadn't he fled yet? “Yes-Yes, of course. Thank you so much again. I don't know what I would have done without your help. Well, I do know actually and I'm way too pretty to be eaten by a monster.” Had that man just winked at him? He must have imagined that.

The brown haired man in the ridiculous clothes stepped closer to Geralt again, no hint of hesitation in his face and leaned into his space. “Thank you, my valiant knight.” he almost whispered, voice low and put a hand on Geralt's chest to lean closer and give him a small short kiss on his cheek. It was nothing big, barely noteworthy to most maybe but Geralt could not remember the last time someone's lips had met his skin. Thankful he couldn´t blush, he looked at the man bewildered who smiled at him in turn like he was seeing the sun. 

Geralt walked away, down the road to their home, their crumbling cold home, too bewildered to do anything else but go away and sort his thoughts. “I hope I´ll see you again, my brave knight!” the man called after him before Geralt vanished between the trees.


	2. Chapter 2

Geralt couldn´t forget the man in the woods for days. Those soft lips that had graced his cheek, that open smile without a hint of fear or disgust, it stirred something within him, something that felt dangerously like longing and hope. He pushed it down, there was no space in his life for those feelings.   
His brothers had come home again, thrown their dirty gear at him once again and mostly ignored him. It suited him well, he prefered to be alone.

The next day, Geralt heard his brothers talk about a contract, one that was close, in the castle even. The prince was hosting a birthday party and had invited everyone, even those without noble standing. It was word that a small pack of lesser vampires wanted to use that opportunity to infiltrate the castle. The royal guard had requested his brothers´ presence to guard the prince. They talked and talked and barely noticed Geralt listened in, curious about the castle and the vampires. He hadn't gotten the chance to fight something smarter than a drowner (or warg) in a long time and his blood yearned for a proper fight, for adrenaline and exhilaration. And maybe, just a tiny bit, for a chance to meet the man again. 

After several days of planning, his brothers had to admit that they needed a third man and that Geralt was the only one they could take, as any other witcher would need several weeks to reach them. They said, they would only let him accompany them under the condition that he got his sword repaired. Lambert told him with a smile that could have been a bite, that he couldn't possibly join them in a proper hunt with such shabby gear. 

Geralt felt defeated, his dented sword was all he had anymore. No coin to buy a new one or get it repaired. His chance to get it, his chance to maybe see the man again, and he hadn't even admitted to himself this was why he wanted to join them until it had been snatched away again, was nil. 

Polishing his old silver sword, he thought about ways to make it look better, to replace it with steel and act like it was silver but even he had to admit that that idea was a recipe for disaster. Battling monsters with steel? He could almost hear Vesemir scold him. 

In the night an idea came to him. Years ago, many many years ago, the son of a Smith had been lost in the woods and Geralt had gotten him from the bottom of a cave, where the biggest spiders he'd ever seen were trying to eat the child. He remembered the boy's father being a smith and being thankful. The family hadn't scorned him, at least not for the few minutes it took him to deliver the boy who had babbled happily about spiders and been entirely unaware of the danger he'd been in. 

Maybe, with a bit of luck, he could lend him a sword? If the father was still alive. Geralt had only a rough estimate of how old humans could be and how long ago this interaction had been. He decided it was worth the trouble he'd get into should his brother notice him going into town. 

Shouldering a new glinting silver sword while he jumped over a fence in the back of the mansion to avoid being seen, Geralt couldn't believe his luck. The father had been long since dead but the son had taken over his smithy and promised his father on his deathbed to thank the witcher who had saved him, should they ever get the chance. Their thanks was currently resting comfortably on his shoulder. Geralt wanted to hug the sword, had it not been sharper than the leg of a kikimora. 

His brothers couldn't believe it when they saw it but they did keep their word. Grumbling and reluctantly but they barely had a choice if they wanted the castle's coin. They told him to be ready at dusk and to keep watch outside.   
He was not to go into the palace under any circumstances, what if the prince saw him and realized just what kind of monster witchers could be?

According to plan they entered the castle from the servant entrance. Geralt saw glimpses of colorful clothed people, many wearing masks or ball gowns that were too puffy to possibly sit in. All he could think was "loud" when he saw them. They gestured loudly, moved loudly and talked loud enough to be overheard easily even by humans. 

His brothers were also wearing finer gear than usual. Lambert in a deep green and Eskel in a dark red with stripes. Only Geralt wore an old piece of armor that looked more grey than black from age. It fit him, he thought. 

The servants and stableboys glanced warily at his brothers but most dropped everything once they saw him. The difference was undeniable. Where Eskel and Lambert were still human enough to appease people's instincts, something about his presence set most humans off. Told them predator!   
A man smelled of fear and almost spooked the horses and an older woman instinctively grabbed her broom closer, ready to defend herself. 

Once again Geralt had to think of the man in the woods. He had hugged him, looked at him without recoiling or trying to flee. Had even kissed him. It was incomprehensible but he desperately wanted to experience it again. 

His brothers sneered at him, unhappy to be so close to so many negative reactions. They wrinkled their noses and tugged him along. All three quickly walked through the kitchens and into the gardens, trying to avoid as many people as possible. 

The garden was a magnificent thing that had lost all resemblance to nature. Sculptures and benches were surrounded by labyrinth-like hedges. Geralt knew, should he be attacked here, nobody would find him fast enough to help.   
Left alone, he wandered around, looking for party goers that were hiding here, hoping to snatch a whiff of something unnatural but all was quiet. 

In a corner of the labyrinth, Geralt found a small fountain and heard someone. He stopped and watched, wary to attack a vampire in a space where they could easily escape or to scare a human who was just trying to get away from all the noise. Even down here, sheltered between hedges, he could hear people talking and laughing, music was playing and the air smelled like sugar and honey, like meat and wine and spices. His stomach rumbled. 

The noise on the gravel turned out to be a man with brown hair. Geralt stopped in his tracks, he knew that smell and loud outfit. It was not the same but resembled the other one too much to be coincidence. It was the man from the woods! Never had he dared to hope to actually meet him this easily. But now that they were so close, Geralt hesitated. Surely the man wouldn't be happy to see him again? Surely he wanted to be alone or was waiting for someone much more beautiful. 

He was too tall, too intense, too monstrous. Who would want to touch a hand that could easily crush their bones, who would want to smile at a face that had fangs long enough to rip out a throat? It was dark, his eyes would glow unnaturally. His want to go and see that smile again warred with his learned need to protect himself, to protect his heart. 

The man sat on a bench now and stared at the sky. At least it didn't look like he waited for someone. Geralt decided it was worth the risk. If the man was indeed scared of him now, didn't remember him maybe, he could at least stop fretting about what could have been.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I promise I´ll update my arranged marriage AU.  
> I´m not at all using this to hide from writing Yennefer. But if you want more Geraskier fun, you can check the first few pieces of it out :3


	3. Chapter 3

Geralt held his breath and stepped on the gravel, making himself visible, hoping not to startle the brown haired man. He looked around, eyes wide when he saw Geralt. Here it comes, the witcher flinched. But instead of fear, a wide smile bloomed on the other man's face. His eyes crinkled in delight and he approached Geralt. Stepping closer to the monster lurking in the dark, who would imagine? "My knight!" he said, walking closer without a hint of hesitation, "who would have thought I'd get such a nice birthday gift from you." 

Geralt flustered, a gift, birthday? He didn't have anything with him. The confusion must have been visible on his face, "The gift is seeing you again." the man whispered, standing very close now. Geralt barely dared to breathe, not moving a muscle. What if he scared him and made the smile disappear? 

The beautiful man still looked up to him, eyes shining with mirth, "May I request another gift? You can say no and I won't mention it again." Geralt nodded, slowly, deliberate, still not breathing, "Can I kiss you?" That's what this stunning man in front of him wanted? A kiss? From him? Geralt thought he had accidentally stepped into the wrong universe. Nobody in his life wanted to kiss him. 

The man had already started to take a step back again, face apologetic but still smiling, when Geralt finally snapped out of it. With a courage he didn't know he possessed, he held the man's arm, gently, careful not to hurt him. He wanted this closeness, wanted this smile. He hadn't known he could want this much anymore. 

"If-if you so desire." he managed to say but didn't dare to move on his own. The man smiled at him. "We should probably know each other's names if we're about to kiss." he winked, cheek playing around his lips. He was standing incredibly close. Geralt could feel the warmth radiating off him and smelled honey and pine surrounding him in delighted excitement. He really meant it, Geralt was stunned. 

He cleared his throat, unsure if his voice would break with the emotions he was experiencing, "Geralt. I'm Geralt."  
The man beamed at him and it was the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen. "Call me Jaskier, my brave knight Sir Geralt." Slowly Jaskier moved his arms around Geralt's neck, waiting to see if he would object. "May I?" he whispered, his breath tickled Geralt's cheek and he could hear both their heartbeats elevate. 

Geralt nodded, once, still afraid to move and scare Jaskier away. Warm lips caressed his, slowly, hesitantly, they barely touched but it felt like a magical shock. The honey smell got stronger and Geralt felt those warm arms embracing him tighten their hold. This small human, who he could break easily, was clinging to him like he wanted to. 

Something deep in Geralt fluttered in satisfaction and a deep rumbling growl left his chest, a sound to claim Jaskier, to show they belonged. Geralt was appalled, usually he had his beastly side under tighter control. He froze, sure Jaskier would run now, would realize what he was kissing there. "I take that you like this?" he asked instead with a cheeky smile. "I can offer you many more." and he dove in for another kiss. Geralt angled his face for easier reach and decided that if this insane man wanted to kiss him right now, he'd enjoy it as long as he could before the inevitable would happen. 

Warm lips met his again and a wet hot tongue asked for entrance. Geralt easily allowed Jaskier to explore, dared to pull the smaller man closer and was pleased to hear Jaskier's heart skip a beat, to see him snuggle even closer. He enjoyed the attention and reveled in the taste of honey and happiness. Jaskier gasped when his tongue met one of Geralt's sharp fangs and it seemed to excite him, if the special attention he payed to them was any indication. Their bodies were pressed close together and Geralt could barely stop himself from hoisting Jaskier up and walking away with him. Never again did he want to spend a day without that man. 

"You are delightful, darling." Jaskier whispered when he had to pull away to take a breath and Geralt almost wanted to believe him. The blue eyes looked at him without a hint of hesitation or disgust, pupils blown wide and Jaskier's lips looked red from the long kiss. 

A shrill shriek let them jump apart, Geralt grabbed his silver sword and remembered with sudden clarity that they were still on a vampire hunt. Guards swamped the whole labyrinth and Jaskier looked like he had swallowed something sour. "I'm sorry, darling." he said and before Geralt could ask what he meant, a guard stumbled into their clearing, shouting, "Your majesty! The Duke of Velen was just decapitated on a balcony by two witchers!" Jaskier stood differently suddenly, back straight, shoulders strong and his face betrayed no emotion. It took Geralt to understand what was happening until Jaskier answered the guard, "Very well, lead me there."

Your majesty? Birthday? Guards looking for him? Jaskier was the prince! Oh shit, Geralt had just kissed the prince without knowing it. Surely he would be the next one to lose his head now. Or worse, his brothers would hear about it. They'd never let him leave the mansion grounds again.

Geralt's head swam but he decided to follow the guards at a distance, hopeful nobody would stop him. How stupid could his brothers be to just kill a vampire out in the open? 

The balcony was a bloodbath, a body without a head was sullying the floor and a woman stood sobbing nearby, a guard trying to soothe her. Jaskier, no, prince Julian, approached the mess and cleared his throat. "Explain." he demanded in a clipped tone. A guard jumped up as if she'd been hit and stumbled over herword, "Wi-Witchers, your majesty, a-attacked Duke Gors of Velen. Beheaded him, your majesty. We caught them and put them in the dungeons for execution, your majesty."

The prince nodded, "Make sure my parents are safe. I will talk to those witchers." and before the guard could open her mouth again, the prince stopped her with a cold look and turned around to the other guards, "As we have another witcher here tonight, one I can guarantee to not have attacked the duke, he will help me with this investigation. Do not interfere with his work." The guards recoiled when they saw him, not just one instinctively grabbed their sword but instead they all just nodded, clearly dumbfounded, Geralt included. He hadn't even known Jaskier had noticed him following and to have so much trust put into him was humbling. 

As expected his brothers were in the dungeons and clearly unhappy to see him. The Prince had walked next to Geralt on the way down, still not talking about what they had done just moments before but he had walked certainly closer to Geralt than most humans did. Geralt explained in short words that they had been hired to kill a vampire at this feast.

His brothers looked bloody and tired but still gaped with their mouths wide open when they saw him stand so close next to the prince, whom they clearly recognized, unlike Geralt.  
"Your majesty, don't believe that liar! We were hired to protect you and your guests. The Duke was an impostor!" Lambert pleaded, while Eskel glared at Geralt. They apparently thought he'd have told Jaskier some unsavory things about them.   
"Look at him, he's barely a witcher, he was just a look out, he can't possibly know what happened!" Jaskier, no, the Prince, took a step to stand between Geralt and his brothers, baring his back to the witcher he barely knew for a few days. Geralt could have wept at so much trust and even more when he noticed Jaskier had moved to shield him from his brothers´ words.

"Thank you, gentleman. I do know that Duke Gors was not entirely human and that my guards hired you. However, I do not appreciate you putting on a bloodbath on my balcony, shocking everyone around. I would have expected more consideration for your station and surroundings from two professionals." He almost sneered that last word. "You two will not be punished but I expect to never see you again on castle grounds. Do be aware that those limits might stretch further out, should you do something so incredibly stupid again."

His brothers could just nod but once Jaskier was done and turned around, they sent Geralt confused glances. He ignored them and followed Jaskier into a chamber on the upper floor. "As for you, dear one, I hope I have not scared you off?" he winked and walked closer, face open and Geralt could smell just a hint of fear. Was he afraid Geralt would not want him as a prince? Impossible. 

"Your majesty," Geralt started to apologise for not recognizing him, for acting so carefree around a noble, for having approached him, but Jaskier stopped him before he could continue, "None of that now, I told you to call me Jaskier." He sauntered closer still, eyes trained on Geralt's face, his expression was so open and vulnerable that Geralt could not remember a single reason anymore for why he should not kiss him. "Jaskier." his breath was almost knocked out of him by the beautiful smile that bloomed on Jaskier's face.

Geralt took one step closer, entranced by the man in front of him and soon felt soft hands envelope his own and warm lips on his. When they had to catch a breath after what could have been seconds or years, Geralt could no longer remember, Jaskier asked, "I think I dearly need a witcher as a personal bodyguard. You know, for all the monsters roaming around at court. You wouldn't happen to know someone interested?" he winked at him, "The pay is good and said witcher could stay in the palace, if he so desired."

Geralt stared at this impossible beautiful kind man who had just invited him to life with him, had offered a way for him to leave his brothers and make his own money. Then he remembered he was not fit for court, would spend all his days being stared at and people would run away or gossip behind his back. "But I'm not, I look…" he started, when Jaskier put a finger on his lips. "When you do not want to live or work here, I will accept that. But if you think I would allow even one person to insult you, you are sorely mistaken. So, do you want to live here?" Geralt nodded and Jaskier kissed him again. At this point they had stopped standing, sitting on a chaiselounge and Jaskier started to climb into his lap. "My dear, nobody would dare to insult the prince consort." he kissed Geralt's nose. "If you want me too, that is." 

Jaskier looked at him, eyes wide and clearly unsure if that had been too fast, too forward, but Geralt could just melt. He couldn't remember the last time someone had wanted him. The last time he had wanted someone. Hope bloomed in his chest as he nodded and initiated a kiss for the first time. Jaskier squealed happily, even when a sharp tooth got caught on his lip.  
"For now and forever." he whispered into Geralt's ear, as their bodies melted against each other.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope this doesn´t feel too rushed. Then again, they´re not married yet, which is basically super slow for a fairy tale :D  
> Thank you for reading this small, self indulgent idea I had.

**Author's Note:**

> This is pretty self indulgent and written between my marriage AU, so no update schedule but it shouldn't become too long, I think.


End file.
